This House of the Dragon season 2 episode 6 recap contains spoilers. In Harrenhal, Daemon finds himself falling under the sway of Alys Rivers, a "Witch Queen" who seems able to make the Targaryen prince reflect upon his past crimes. Meanwhile, in King's Landing, Aegon stirs, as Aemond tightens his grip on the Iron Throne...
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'He dares to summon me?'
Lord Lannister arrives at The Golden Tooth where he’s greeted apprehensively, yet rather than march on Harrenhal immediately, he orders a raven be sent to King’s Landing requesting Prince Aemond join them upon the mighty Vhagar.
This presumptuous message doesn’t please the new regent, who’s ruling the counsel with an iron fist that couldn’t be more different from the hand of his malleable brother, Aegon. Few people around the table believe his plan of smashing the Sea Snake’s blockade by making an alliance with the Free Cities is a good one, yet the fear of contradicting him is tangible. “They might play at accepting terms but they are not to be trusted,” says Aemond’s mother Alicent.
Ser Cristan supports his former lover, yet it’s not long before he’s being ordered to march upon Daemon at Harrenhal, a tricky mission considering the vast numbers lost during The Battle of Rook’s Rest. Once the council is dismissed, Aemond explains that he no longer requires his mother’s wisdom. As such, the two people who voiced any kind of opposition to his plan are removed. He may be a decisive ruler, but surrounding yourself with yes men who are afraid to question your commands is rarely a good idea.
“Have the indignities of your childhood not yet been sufficiently avenged?” Alicent asks her son as she departs, hoping against hope that he will somehow find some temperance to go with his bloodlust.
'I am but a man, the dragons are gods...'
On Dragonstone, Princess Rhaenyra enacts the desperate plan she hatched with her son at the end of the previous episode. She summons Ser Stefan Darklyn, whom the records suggest has Targaryen blood from many generations before. Ser Stefan knows the risks of failing to claim a dragon, but sees it as an honour to be asked.
Yet the process of claiming Seasmoke is nerve-racking and just when it looks like Ser Stefan has succeeded, the dragon decides his Targaryen blood runs too thin and consumes him with fire. It’s a sobering moment for Rhaenyra, as she loses a trusted general, while realising only the most courageous will now be willing to follow in his footsteps.
However one man burning for greater honour and a more glamorous place in the world is Addam of Hull, who’s envious of his brother being called up as a first mate by Lord Corlys. We’ve long suspected he and Alyn are Lord Corlys’ illegitimate sons and when the confirmation finally arrives, we begin to realise the possibilities the Velaryon blood in their veins offers.
'You are not a player, but a piece on the board...'
Meanwhile at Harrenhal, Prince Daemon is now seeing visions of his late brother Viserys, who reminds him of the terrible quip he made on the day his nephew died. “You should have been at my side,” says Viserys from beyond the grave. “But instead you chose to celebrate your own rise.”
Yet this is a conversation that actually took place - it’s a memory rather than a dream - and when Ser Simon Strong rouses Daemon from his reverie, the Targaryen prince holds a dagger to his throat. It’s well-known in Westeros that every time a Targaryen is born, “the gods toss a coin”. Daemon was never on the good side of that spectrum, but this encroaching madness has eerie echoes of the Mad King, whose rule foreshadowed Game of Thrones. Or is Daemon simply slipping under the influence of Alys Rivers, ‘the witch of Harrenhal’?
Daemon spills his fury and frustration out to the woman he’s becoming increasingly reliant upon and she points out that those who desire the crown are perhaps those least suited to it. However she does explain that the winds of change are about to blow through the Riverlands.
Later on, Daemon dreams of comforting his grief-stricken brother after the death of his wife and when he awakes, news of Grover Tully’s death arrives. This means the paralysed forces of the Riverlands can finally start moving under his Lord Oscar Tully, while Alys Rivers’ hand in the process is impossible to miss. She’s a powerful ally and if she can make Daemon reflect upon his past sins and become a better man, she could be the saviour the small folk of Westeros need. It's like therapy through trauma, we just hope Daemon is capable of becoming a new man.
'Your life is in danger...'
Meanwhile Lord Corlys' blockade of King’s Landing is encouraging the small folk to become increasingly emboldened. It’s amazing how hunger can overcome fear. “The enemy without can be fought with swords, the enemy within is far more insidious.” says Larys Strong, during Prince Aegon’s increasingly diminished council meeting.
The conversation soon moves on to the prospect of Aemond’s Hand and he wisely chooses to recall his grandfather, Ser Otto Hightower, yet can’t resist doing so in a manner that belittles Lord Larys. The habit of passively lashing out at his most loyal advisors is one he believes will keep everyone on their toes and protect him from manipulation, but it will also foster resentment among those he relies upon the most, leaving him with few true allies.
With King Aegon’s condition slowly improving, Ser Larys Strong begins to wonder if he might fare better under a broken King than a violent tyrant. Later on, the old Master of Whisperers seeks the shattered ruler out and points out that while he will be pitied, people will also underestimate him.
“That will be to your advantage,” he explains. We’ve seen how Lord Larys and - many years down the road Tyrion Lannister - have climbed the ladder, dispute their physical frailties, yet they were battle-hardened over decades. Does Aegon have the mental strength to make such a sharp shift this late in the day?
We think this might be a long and risky shot from Lord Larys. It’s surely only a matter of time before Aemond finishes his brother off, so tying himself to a stricken ship is a perilous course.
'Kindness is a quality I've found lacking in his brothers...'
In the Eyrie, Lady Rhaena is making preparations to sail to Pentos when she realises there is a large dragon in the Vale. It’s wild, but as the Greens and Blacks pursue an arms race, it's surely something worth investigating. Whichever side can tame this mighty beast will surely strike a crucial blow and the subject plays on Rhaena’s mind as she prepares to depart Westeros. Will she leave her kin behind, increasingly outnumbered, or will she take a hand in the fight?
Meanwhile in King’s Landing, the gifts Rhaenyra and Mysaria discussed begin to wash up on the beach. Boat upon boat of food, draped in her colours, are sure to be well-received in a city of starving people.
Later on there’s a powerful moment between Alicent and her brother Ser Gwayne, who’s about to head into the breach once more as he marches upon Harrenhal with Ser Cristan. There has been no word from their father - which is odd - and as they reminisce about their different youths, she asks about her 16 year-old son, Ser Dareon Hightower, who remains in Oldtown.
When Ser Gwayne confirms he is kind, it’s a bittersweet moment for Alicent and a glimpse of what could have been if the winds of fate blew in a different direction. “Kindness is a quality I’ve found lacking in his brothers,” she explains, in a farewell that bears all the hallmarks of a final meeting.
As Alicent and her daughter set off to light a candle for Aegon in the Great Sept, rioting brought on my Rhaenyra’s aid packages almost engulfs them. “The Queen of fishes” shouts one man, hurling one at her, while cries of “Long live Rhaenyra!” are also heard among the throng. Vladimir Lenin once said that any society is only three meals away from chaos and the small folk of King’s Landing have been going without for many weeks now.
Meanwhile, Seasmoke - who has been missing since roasting Ser Stefan Darklyn - seeks out Addam of Hull and offers himself as a steed. Could this be a turning point in the Targaryen civil war?
